Click here for part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 10, part 11, part 12, part 13, part 14 and part 15.
Defenders Of Style & Tha Office – Defenders Of Style vs Tha Office
Two Leeds crews clashing and making boom bap style hip-hop that actually stands out from the overcrowded UK scene.
Dels – Petals Have Fallen
Sounds like Ghostpoet but slightly less melancholy. Interesting UK hip-hop.
Diamond District – March On Washington and Redux Edition
The trio of Oddisee, Uptown XO and yU are back, years after In The Ruff with another exceptional LP. Some of the best boom bap style beats I’ve heard in years perfectly complement the expert flows and thoughtful lyrics. A redux version of the album with remixes from a variety of big name producers was released later in the year and is as good as the original, although it is a little less cohesive.
Buy the original here and the Redux Edition here
Dizzy Wright – State Of Mind
Sturdy collection of club friendly hip-hop tracks.
Epidemic & Tantu – The Soulution
Buttery soul beats lend themselves perfectly to Epidemic’s soothing raps.
Fashawn & Alchemist – FASH-ionably late
Fashawn has been a solid rapper for a while now and although he’s had some good releases I’ve never been blown away by his output. This tape is different, and it’s pretty obvious why. Alchemist has been on another level recently, making some of the best beats of the year and he really brings it here. Fashawn fits with the beats perfectly too and I’d love to hear a proper album from these two.
Foreign Beggars – Modus
UK heavyweights with an EP of smashers produced by the likes of Alix Perez and Eprom.
Fortune – Is This Love 2
Trappy instrumental love songs.
Freddie Joachim – Leaves
Dusty jazz sample beats.
Freeway & Jacka – Highway Robbery
Freeway & Jacka collaborate to drop a decent mixtape.
